I MACHINE FOR APPLYING TEAR-STRIPS UPON A WEB OF WRAPPING MATERIAL Filed Nov. 6, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 r 1 P 6 I I I l I I I5 I I 26 29 I 21 Fla. 2 L

//Y (/5 N TOR 14/9/0670 SfiW/GA/OL/ ATTQRNE 9 United States Patent 3,146,152 MACHINE FOR APPLYING TEAR-STRIPS UPON A WEB 0F WRAPPING MATERIAL Ariosto Seragnoli, Bologna, Italy, assignor to GD. Societa in Accomandita Scrnplice di Enzo Seragnoli & Ariosto Seragnoii Filed Nov. 6, 1961, Ser. No. 150,556 Claims priority, application, Italy, May 31, 1961, 659,984 4 Claims. (Cl. 156519) Well known is the system for opening wrappings, especially cellophane wrappings for cigarette packets, consisting in the application of a strip upon the web of cellophane, which strip is also made of cellophane, and which is provided with a protruding end; so that by pulling this end of the strip the wrapping is ripped along the entire path of the strip, freeing the contained packet. This strip is called a tear-strip.

Also, well known is the system of cutting a tear-strip breadthwise from the extremity of a web of material having the Width equal to the length of the tear-strip required, and mechanisms are known for applying said tear-strips along the length or breadth of a sheet or of a web of wrapping material.

See, for instance, Italian Patent No. 521,137 of the same applicant.

The known mechanisms for applying lengthwise, one following the other, upon a web of wrapping material, the tear-strips cut breadthwise from a web having a width equal to the length of the said tear-strips, are so made that they must remain stationary during the time required for placing and sealing the strip on the Web. This requires a sufficiently long time and limits the frequency of the operations and operating speed of the said mechanisims.

The present invention concerns a machine in which the tear-strips, rhythmically cut breadthwise from the end of a web as mentioned above, are applied lengthwise, one following the other, continuously upon a web of wrapping material which is fed forward at a constant speed. The machine is illustrated as an example, with reference to the application of tear-strips on a web, both being of cellophane or other plastic material in the following description and in the attached drawings, which form an integral part of the description itself, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a Vertical section according to plane XX of FIG. 4.

FIG. 3 is a partial schematic View from above.

FIG. 4 is a vertical section according to plane YY of FIG. 2.

In all figures the same numbers designate the same parts.

The machine comprises a stationary base, not shown in the drawings, to which are attached, with means of the usual type, obvious and not described, all the stationary parts and in which are guided, also with means of the usual type, obvious and not described, all the moving parts.

The machine also comprises a stationary knife and an overhead stationary guide 11, between which is caused to intermittently advanced, by means of the usual type and not shown, a web 12 of cellophane for tear-strips, so as to protrude beyond the edge of the knife 10 with the extremity 13, for an amount corresponding to the required width of tear-strip 14.

A reciprocating knife 15, preferably equipped with suction holes 16, cooperates with knife 10 to form a scissors or shearing device. The holes 16 are connected to a manifold and through a flexible tube 17 they are alternatively subjected to air-suction, or standard atmosphere or overpressure by means of usual type devices the same not being shown.

Under the knife 15 there is a stationary support 18 for the cut-off tear-strip 14, made preferably in the shape of a channel having a width approximately equal to that of the tear-strips for receiving the same and preferably equipped with suction holes 19 on the bottom, connected to a manifold 20 (FIG. 2).

Through the manifold 20 these holes are alternatively subjected to air suction, standard atmosphere or overpressure by means of usual type device, the same not being shown.

The end of support 18 near the drum 21 (right hand as referred to FIG. 2) is shaped and terminates in a tangent position on the upper surface of the transfer drum 21 which rotates steadily in the direction shown by arrow 22 on its shaft 21 perpendicular to the cut tear strip 14. The position and the relative movements of the parts above described are such that when the knife 15 descends it cuts oil? a tear-strip 14 and lays it on the support 18 on which the tear-strip rests, with the right hand extremity extending beyond the end of the channel so as to lightly touch in the tangent direction the surface of the drum 21. On the surface of the drum 21 there are some radial holes 23 distributed on the circumference laying on the middle line, under the support 18 and connected to axial holes 24 which lead to an extremity of the drum and contact a stationary distributer 25. This latter has, on the surface contacting the extremity of the drum, a channel 26 connected, through the tube 27, to a suction pump. In the area not occupied by the channel 26, the distributer has another channel 28 with free air inlet or, in an alternative solution, connected to a pressure pump.

The drum 29 is arranged on a parallel axis to drum 21 and close to it, and rotates in the direction shown by the arrow 31 and is required for guiding and for pressing against the said roller 21 a web of wrapping cellophane 3t), taken from a reel.

The web 30 travels on a portion of the circumference on the drum 21 and is then taken up by a usual pick up system, not shown, which pulls it forward rectilinearly and feeds it to a wrapping machine. Adjacent to drum 21 in the portion covered by the web 30 is arranged an electric heat-sealer 32.

The operation is accomplished as follows:

The feed-system of the tear-strip 12 advances past the stationary knife 10 of the shearing device, the extremity 13 of the aforesaid Web for the amount corresponding to the width of tear-strip required, then it stops the web 12.

The mobile blade 15 of the shearing device is caused to descend and cuts the extremity 13, which becomes a tear-strip 14, and places it on the support 18. While the knife 15 cuts off the strip and brings it down, air suction is applied to the holes 16 to hold the stripagainst the knife 15 during the cutting and transport operations.

When the tear-strip has been laid on the support 18, the suction given by'the holes 16 ceases and a suction is produced in the holes 19 of the support 18: the strip is left on the support, while the knife ascends to the position shown in FIG. 4, ready for another operating cycle. j j V The tear-strip 14, as already mentioned, extends beyond the end of support 18 located near the drum 21 and lays tangent on the drum 21. When a hole 23 passes under the projecting extremity of the strip 14, this latter is subjected to air suction applied through the distributor 25 and is attracted by suction on the drum surface. Simultaneously the suction in the holes 19 stops or weakens so that the tear-strip 14 is carried ofif on the drum 21 which draws it off the support 18 and winds it on itself. In the rotation of the drum 21 the tear-strip 14 is brought against the cellophane web 30 and pressed against it, first in passing between the drums 21 and 29 and then in passing between the drum 21 and the heat-sealer 32.

The webs 12 and 30 are taken from their respective reels so that the surface of the tear-strip 14 and of the web 30, which through the operations above mentioned come in contact with each other, by the surfaces treated for heat-sealing, said surfaces being pressed together and heated by the heat-sealer 32 so to adhere to each other; in this manner the tear-strip 14 sticks to the web 30.

Meanwhile the axial hole 24 through which the holes 23 were subjected to air-suction passes from the channel 26 of the distributer to channel 28 and thus from air suction to standard atmosphere or to air pressure and releases the tear-strip which is attached to the web 36).

The operation is rhythmically repeated so as to attach a succession of tear-strips 14 onto the web 30 as shown in the figures.

It is obvious that the parts not described can be of any known type, and it is also obvious that modifications and variations can be made without departing from the invention. For instance, when the air suction ceases in the holes, one can supply them with air pressure, so as to facilitate the release of the tear-strip; the distributer 25 can be made in various shapes, or substituted by equivalent devices; the air suction during the cutting and transport for holding the tear-strip to the knife and the following suction for holding the strip on the support 18 may be superfluous and consequently the relative holes, connections and distributers can be omitted; the strip can be guided, when it is being wound on the drum 21 and until it comes into contact with the web 30, by means of stationary or mobile guides which prevent it from deviating from the predetermined path; and so on, without departing from the scope and protection of the patent.

What I claim is:

1. A machine for applying long and narrow strips onto a continuously moving sheet of wrapping material, said machine comprising means for intermittently advancing an edge portion of a large coil of material, cutting means disposed transversally of said edge portion and including a fixed blade and guide for said coil cooperating with a reciprocating blade, a stationary support mounted below said reciprocating blade for receiving a strip cut by said cutting means with a portion thereof extending outwardly from said support, a rotating drum having a portion of its cylindrical surface positioned below the outwardly extending portion of the strip and provided with a portion for engaging the said outwardly extending portion, means for substantially transversally guiding the continuously moving sheet of wrapping material adjacent said drum whereby the strip which is engaged by the drum is caused to be placed substantially lengthwise upon the wrapping material, means associated with said drum insuring the engaging of and releasing of said strip from said support to said wrapping material, and adhering means disposed adjacent said wrapping material to cause said strip to be adhered to said wrapping material.

2. A machine for applying strips of material onto a continuously moving material comprising cutting means for cutting strips of material of a predetermined width from material periodically being fed to said cutting means, means to receive each of said strips of material cut by said cutting means, engaging and transfer means for engaging each of said strips of material to transfer same from said receiving means, means to maintain said continuously moving material against said engaging and transfer means so that said strips of cut material are dis posed thereon, adhering means disposed adjacent said continuously moving material to cause said strips of cut material to be adhered to said continuously moving material, said cutting means including a stationary guide for guiding the periodically fed material, a reciprocating knife member periodically cooperating with said stationary guide to form a shearing device, and means disposed in said knife member operatively connected to a suction and compressed air means to maintain each of said out strips of material on said knife member after being cut by suction and then deposited on said receiving means by compressed air.

3. A machine for applying strips of material onto a continuously moving material comprising cutting means for cutting strips of material of a predetermined Width from material periodically being fed to said cutting means, means to receive each of said strips of material cut by said cutting means, engaging and transfer means for engaging each of said strips of material to transfer same Tom said receiving means, means to maintain said continuously moving material against said engaging and transfer means so that said strips of cut material are disposed thereon, adhereing means disposed adjacent said continuously moving material to cause said strips of cut materiai to be adhered to said continuously moving material, said receiving means including a support member having a channel therein of sufficient width in which to receive said strips of material cut by said cutting means, and means disposed in said channel operatively connected to a suction and compressed air means to maintain each of said cut strips in said channel by suction and to release each cut strip by compressed air when engaged by said engaging and transfer means.

4. A machine for applying strips of material onto a continuously moving material comprising cutting means for cutting strips of material of a predetermined Width from material periodically being fed to said cutting means, means to receive each of said strips of material cut by said cutting means, engaging and transfer means for engaging each of said strips of material to transfer same from said receiving means, means to maintain said continuously moving material against said engaging and transfer means so that said strips of cut material are disposed thereon, adhering means disposed adjacent said continuously moving material to cause said strips of cut material to be adhered to said continuously moving material, said engaging and transfer means including a rotatable drum disposed adjacent said receiving means, each of said strips of material when disposed in said receiving means having a portion overlying said engaging and transfer means, and means disposed in said rotatable drum operatively connected to a suction and compressed air means so that when said drum passes across the overlying portion of the cut strip it is engaged onto said drum by suction and transferred onto said continuously moving material and then the cut strip is maintained against the continuously moving material by compressed air.